Early Mornings
by Cella N
Summary: It’s always morning when he first finds her. ORIHIME. ISHIDA. And the complication in between.


**Title: **Early Mornings (1/1)  
**Author:** Cella  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** It's always morning when he first finds her. ORIHIME. ISHIDA. And the complication in between.  
**A/N:** For Seren, because she me Seren, and she deserves it. And because she'll be the only one to actually read this.

**Early Mornings**

_is he real  
or a ghost-lie  
she feels she isn't heard  
and the veil tears and rages  
til her voices are remembered  
and his secrets can be told  
**tori amos, lust**_

It's always morning when he first finds her. He doesn't realise why just yet, but ever since they met, the first time they see each other during the day is in the morning. He believes,--not thinks, because Ishida is convinced--, that it's because they take the same road to school. Orihime thinks,--not believes, because she learned to leave a safe spot for contradiction--, that it's because everything good happens in the morning.

The sun rises in the morning, it smiles down, and warms everyone, and even when Orihime is tired, and dragging her legs against the asphalt, her eyes falling closed again, and her mouth threatening to open in a wide yawn, when she sees Ishida, it's like the glue that used to stick her feet to the ground dissipates, and the glue underneath her eyes fades away, and she's smiling instead of yawning, but never, ever questioning why exactly Ishida, seeing him in the morning makes her so happy. So far, it just _does_.

When they end up together in the Soul Society, the first thing they see in the morning, is each other. Not the wall, like before, or the ceiling, or the pillow, or the…well, now it's different. Because now, what they see, really _first thing in the morning_, is each other. Ishida is normally the first to wake up, if he ever goes to sleep at all. He opens his eyes in one blink, brusque, and alert, and ready, and oddly protective, because it's his duty to keep her safe. And he wants her safe, because he knows it's what you do when you love someone, you want them to be safe. And he's never been more sure of loving Orihime than when he opens his eyes in the morning to see her sleeping on the floor in front of him, an invisible smile on her face, and the sun playing with her hair.

Orihime wakes up slowly, savouring the moment, or maybe just dragging it out. She's not a happy person in the morning, not usually at least. Her eyes flutter open slowly, and she has to rub at her eyes before finally being able to clearly see Ishida. And when she finds him looking at her intently, she smiles, and she's a happy person in the morning. Sometimes, there's a part of her that tells her that Ishida looks at her with something resembling love in his eyes, but she shakes her head, and the thought slides through her hair, flowing in the air, carried by the wind, away, away. Sometimes, there's another part of her that notices how nice it is to wake up near Ishida each morning, and wouldn't it be nice to be able to do so forever? She doesn't shake that thought away.

After the Soul Society, she barely sees him in the morning again. For a while he comes to school later, avoiding someone. Her, maybe. Possibly. Orihime suspects it has to do something with his missing glove. She's a dreamer, but she's not stupid, and Orihime can know an ex-Quincy when she sees one. And Ishida Uryu is the only Quincy she knew, because now he's the only ex-Quincy she _knows_. But that's okay, she doesn't mind. She figures he might find himself useless, probably thinks he can't protect her anymore. Orihime decides to give him some time. But days turn into weeks, and enough is enough.

The first thing Ishida sees when he opens the door to his apartment is Her. Her, and her face, her smile, her grace, her laughing eyes. But she's not laughing. She's grim. Disappointed. In him, most likely. She looks up at him, catches his eyes, and he realises it. She knows. Ah. So that's why she's disappointed. Because he can't protect her anymore. He bows her head. Her hand comes up to catch his cheek. He looks at her again.

_I don't care,_ her eyes say.

_I'm weak now,_ his eyes say.

_I'll protect you, then,_ her eyes smile, as if it's that simple.

_I hate feeling weak,_ his eyes say when he turns his gaze away.

_I know_, her eyes whisper, softening on the edges.

_I don't want you to get hurt,_ his gaze softens, and he lifts his hand to catch her own.

_I know that too,_ her eyes say.

_I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you got hurt,_ he presses.

Her gaze hardens, _Then stop hurting me._

His eyes widen, _Where do I hurt you?_

She guides his hand above her chest, and presses down so that he can hear the _thump, thump_ of a mechanism he almost broke. _Here._

He breaks the stupid walls he's put up since they came back, and remembers the mornings of waking up next to her, and how he loved her then. And how he loves her now, so much that he doesn't want her hurt, and it turns out he's hurting her. And he can only stupidly, helplessly, weakly say, _I'm sorry._

And Orihime, dreamer--but not stupid--, friend, angel and all there is smiles at him and stands on her toes to kiss his nose. _It's okay. I love you, anyway._

It's always morning when he first finds her. Before, it was because their roads coincided, then because their fates coincided. Now it's because she came to him. Before, he didn't know why it was always in the morning when he reinforced her love for Orihime. But she probably knew all along. Every new day starts with a morning. Every life, chance, opportunity, begins with a 'morning'. This is their morning. Maybe they kissed. Maybe they just hugged, and went to school together. Maybe she cried, maybe he held her. Maybe those were other mornings they would encounter. For now, this is enough.

They begin.

:end:


End file.
